Hay bales were rectangular and much, much smaller when I was a boy. I've often wondered what the advantages the big, cylindrical bales offer over the older, smaller rectangular bales. It turns out that a lot of city folk ask this question.
- More hay is stored in a cylindrical bale. Cylindrical bales can weigh up to 1500 lbs. The older, smaller, rectangular bales topped out at about fifty or sixty lbs.
- Because of the great difference in weight, it can much longer to transport, stack and store the smaller rectangular bales.
- Large bales are not as prone to mold and rot. This makes them a healthier food choice for a farmer's animals.
- Hay is dried alfalfa and assorted grasses that is fed to cattle and horse during the winter. A big operation, with a large herd of cattle, can feed far more animals with one bale when it is a large, cylindrical one and not one of the older rectangular bales.
And there you have it. The technology making the large, cylindrical bales possible is a big improvement over the older system. Storing bales used to be a job for three or four people. Today, it is a one-person job.
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